AN: Sorry for the slight delay as I decided to rewrite this chapter to reflect two separate points of observation. I think it made the story flow better and added to the suspense. I hope you think so too.
Chapter 9 - Detonation & Discovery
As Ron made his way steadily over the rough terrain, he struggled to keep his focus on the mission in front of him. In fact he had to resist the strongest urge to break his stride and just jump up and down in joy. She had come to see him! She still loved him and wanted him! His life had meaning again!
He was determined to get rid of those bombs but had all but resigned himself to his fate after. But now everything had changed. He had the most beautiful girl in the world waiting for him and he would move heaven and earth to remain alive and return to her just as she had asked...no...demanded. Hell he could never resist her wishes and now was not the time to start. She had obviously come to terms with whatever it was to that made her go mental on him and she had promised to tell him soon but he honestly didn't care two hoots about it. Once she wanted him, there was nothing she could say that would deter him away from her...
With his mind wandering around, he barely missed a large rut in front of him and staggered for a few seconds before gaining his stride again. Merlin! Keep your fucking head on Weasley if you want to remain alive in the next few minutes. People are depending on you. She is depending on you...so focus!
Before setting out Ron had already determined to reduce his speed slightly in order to keep his strength over the whole length of the run. With his shield offering a more flexible route he also decided to sacrifice going for the shortest route in favour of the best terrain to get there. It would be a bit longer but gave him the best chance of making it in the least amount of time. Halfway to the looming mansion he quickly spotted a low lying swampy area ahead and reluctantly swung around to his left to run around the impassable ground. He swore to himself as he calculated an additional couple hundred yards for him to cover. It would get him closer to the western part of the house but his time would suffer.
As he rounded the soft area and headed for the house he checked his watch. Shite! he had already used up close to six minutes with over four hundred yards still to go. He resisted the urge to panic as he started to feel the inevitable burn in his lungs and in his legs. He desperately tried to maintain his stride and his concentration over the last straight run leading up to the nearest window of the building. As he narrowed the distance he suddenly felt a slight weight against him as the shield started to lose some of its protection. His vest was now completely drenched with sweat dripping from his hair over his shoulders as the stone walls of the house came clearer into view. Push it Weasley! You can do this! He was now running on pure adrenalin.
Ron clattered into the walls gasping for air as he felt the shield around him crack. The weight of the air around him became almost stifling as he reeled to the ground and vomited violently. He was now having trouble simply breathing and his head became foggy just like his vision. With his last ounce of strength he pulled himself up to the nearest window ledge and uttered the opening spell with his eyes closed to keep himself from falling over. As the shield around him disintegrated he pushed against the window and fell inside the room. Ron knew he was on the verge of passing out but he had made it! He was inside! It had taken him just over eight minutes but it felt like a lifetime. Struggling to keep the darkness away he pulled himself fully behind a large couch which was sitting near the window. He reach blindly for the invisibility cloak in his bag but his body finally shut down and he fell into blackness.
o0o
Inside the small monitoring tent, Hermione had her hands firmly around Harry's arm as she watched the small bright red dot move over the large map which was hovering above a bare desk at the back of the tent. She sensed that Harry was just as tense as her but she couldn't take her eyes off the red marker to say anything to him.
"OK he's moving at a good clip. Everything looks good so far." she heard the Auror at the desk report on Ron's progress. Her hands still held Harry in a tight grip but he didn't seem to care as he was watching the map intently also. Her shield was holding up and Ron was making good time but her heart was beating loudly in her chest and her breathing was almost non-existent.
"Five minutes and still holding...wait. He has veered off course a bit. Probably a bad area he has to avoid. Damn! That is going to cost him a few yards extra." the report made everyone shuffle closer to the map as Hermione suddenly felt a pain strike at her chest.
"Right. He's back on course approaching the western side of the main building. Coming up on eight minutes. The shield is starting to lose some strength but he's almost there. Come on Weasley!" the tracking Auror seemed to get carried away a bit but no one commented on it.
"He's reached the perimeter but he's not moving well. Over eight minutes and the shield is disintegrating. He has to get inside now!" he cried out as Hermione felt a scream coming out of her throat.
"He made it! He's inside! Yes! He made it!" there was a loud hoop and shouts inside the tent from everyone. Hermione gave a small sob as she fell against Harry. This was going to kill her! She briefly thought about leaving the tent but her eyes were once again drawn to the red dot which was now positioned on a schematic plan of the inside of the house.
"We can't get inside but thank God we were able to map the layout with our magic." Harry informed her quietly at her side.
The tent fell silent as it soon became obvious that there was a problem. The bright red marker had not moved since entering the house.
"What's the matter Andrews. Why is he not moving? Are you sure the tracking device is working properly?" Roberts enquired loudly.
"Yes. Everything checks out sir. It's Weasley. Something's wrong with him. He's not moving." the Auror replied quickly. As Hermione felt her stomach lurch, Harry suddenly moved forward pulling her along to the front.
"Do you think he's hurt? Maybe he's just resting to catch his breath. Right Hermione?" Harry tugged at her hand.
Hermione was startled by Harry's question to her. She had been so caught up in her worry that her analytical mind had shut off completely. As she looked into his worried eyes she realised she had to keep her head on...for Harry and for Ron.
"It could be that he passed out from the exertion and the added air pressure but since we can't see who else is in the room, we can't really tell if...if someone saw him." she stuttered out the last part in pain. Harry pulled away completely from her now.
"Can we send another person the same way to help him? We have to do something!" he shouted. Roberts immediately stopped him.
"There's no one else who could make that run Potter. Weasley was our best and he barely made it through. I am not sending anyone else in to their sure death. We will just have to..."
"He's moving. He's up. Oh thank God!" Hermione cried out as she spotted a slight movement on the map. Everyone crowded around the desk as she again grabbed on to Harry.
o0o
Ron jumped awake with a loud groan staring at the back of a lush couch. Where the hell was he! Well he was on the floor behind a piece of furniture and his head hurt like shit. As he looked around he suddenly remembered his mission and he immediately dropped to the floor again in fright. Glancing at his watch he realized that he must have been out for ten minutes. Shit! He has wasted ten minutes of good time! Trying to clear his throbbing head he reached into his bag for Harry's cloak which he kept in his hand as he looked over the top of the couch.
He was in a small room surrounded by glass cases placed against the walls on either side of the room. They seemed to contain various strange and unfamiliar pieces of paraphernalia that he quickly skimmed over as he settled on the door ahead of him. Moving forward as quietly as possible he put his ears to the old wood listening for any sounds on the other side. He was just about to open the door when his eye caught one of the glass cases to his right. He moved across the room to examine the case in detail and as he leaned forward to confirm his find the sound of voices just outside the door made him stop. Someone was coming in the room! He dropped to the ground wrapping the cloak around him just as the door swung open and two death eaters entered loudly.
"Why are we still making our rounds when no one can possible get through the protection spells anyway? It just a fucking waste of time." he heard the first one speak.
"Stop your bloody complaining. You know this will be the last night so shut it." was the quick reply.
"Do we have to move all the stuff from this room you think?"
"No thank goodness. After we move the bombs tonight everything here will be gone along with the house. Nice and clean. Sanderson will be here soon so let's get going."
After the door was shut Ron stayed quiet in place for a few minutes running through what he had just heard.
Shit! Shit! They were going to move the bombs! He had no time to linger here. And what the hell was that about the house being gone? Think Ron think!...Fuck! They're going to destroy the house with everything in it! Fuck! Fuck! Get a move on Weasley!
With a quick glance outside the door, Ron slipped on the cloak and moved down the western corridor as quickly as he could considering he was moving in a crouched position. He cursed his height and the size of the cloak around him for his slow progress. Moving from memory of the plan layout drilled into him, he finally reached the small room at the extreme western end of the house before dropping to his knees. The room was there but as expected two death eaters stood guard.
It seemed that all the occupants of the house felt overwhelmingly sure that the protective spells around the building were impenetrable because the two dumb guards were laughing and talking to each other with no mind on the corridor in front of them and with no wands held in either's hand. Well who could blame them...they could never cater for the brilliant mind that belonged to one Hermione Granger.
Edging slowly forward until he was in position, he quickly pointed his wand and stunned the two guards in rapid succession watching them fall with a small clatter to the floor. Still wearing the cloak he muttered the opening spell and pushed the door open. He afforded himself a small grin. Brilliant! This was easier than...
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The loud ringing noise echoed through the house making him jump. The cloak around him shimmered for a second and then became distinctly visible. The alarm had been triggered when the door opened and somehow his cloak had lost its magic temporarily, no doubt due to one of Sanderson's tricks.
"Damn! Fuck! So much for surprise!
Ron instantly ran through all the remaining possibilities before quickly coming to his decision.He pulled the explosive device from his bag, set the timer for ten seconds and threw it into the room without even entering. He had to rely on the informants word that the bombs were indeed in the room and that they had not been removed since. Stuffing the cloak back into his bag he took off in a sprint back down the corridor heading for a small storage room he had passed earlier shut with a solid steel door.
Yanking the steel dooropen he threw himself inside and slammed the door shut just as the explosion rocked the building. He staggered and fell to the ground his ears ringing then going deaf. A bright light flashed outside the closed door and in an instant a series of terrifying and vile images swarmed into his head. A mixture of horrifying torture and death, men women and children screaming as flesh rotted off their bodies, beings coming from the sky and from beneath the ground so terrifying that he had to fight the urge to scream in fear. He deliberately banged his head repeatedly on the floor to clear his head and fought against the images with one of his own. One he had memorized from a morning not so long ago.
Hermione! She was lying against his side, her head snuggled into his shoulder one hand over his stomach and one leg thrown over his. He could feel all of her against him. The feel of her hair falling lightly against his shoulder and neck, her light breathing against his skin, the soft feel of her breasts against his side, the smooth feel of her stomach, the arousing tickle of her pubic hair against his bare hip, her inner thigh against his leg and her cold small toes rubbing against the fine hair on his shin. Hermione! She still loved him and was waiting for him!
The sound of the real world came back to him in a rush and he gulped a breath of air greedily in. Blood ran over his left eye and down the side of his face onto the floor below. He shivered alone in the small room. Merlin's Bullocks! If those bombs were fully armed and ready he would never have been able to keep his mind sane and survive. He had barely made it back as it was...she had pulled him back...Hermione. He had to get back to her! Rising slowly and testing his feet he pushed open the door and stepped out.
He had to get back to that room first!
o0o
"Why is he staying so long in that room? He has to get going soon." the tracking Auror observed with a twinge of impatience.
"Easy Andrews. Don't forget we don't know what condition he's in and we also can't tell what else is going on around him." the Head Auror pointed out soberly.
At these words Hermione fell into her worry mode again. She just couldn't help herself. She felt so helpless just standing here watching a red dot move across a map. She should be with him! Then she would know what condition he was really in and she could help him. Her frustration must have shown as Harry patted her hand gently.
"Don't worry Hermione. He's fine. He can do this." he said quietly before turning to the map again.
"Finally! He's moving towards the target room. He's moving slowly but steady." the report was relayed as Roberts nodded next to Harry.
Everyone watched as Ron approached the room where the bombs were being held. The red marker stopped for a few seconds and then proceeded to the room. Everything seemed to be going as planned and Roberts gave the order to the spell breakers and all Aurors to get in their respective position. The healers in the other small tent were put on alert. Harry pulled away slowly from her with a knowing glance. She tugged back on his hand.
"Bring him back for me Harry." she said with enough force to cause Harry to smile.
"Sure thing. I'm on it." he grinned...Then all hell broke loose as the alarm went off around the small tent.
"What the fuck just happened!" Roberts bellowed.
"I don't know! The room must have been jinxed! Shit!" came the frantic reply. "Weasley is now moving away from the room. He just ran into a store room down the corridor! He never entered the bomb room. I don't know..."
The ground shook violently as the sound of an explosion boomed from the house. They all ran to the front of the tent and observed the western side of the building covered in fire and smoke. Harry was now shouting above the noise.
"Is Ron OK? Is he moving? Andrews answer me!" All eyes switched to the hovering map.
"He's down. Wait! he's moving again. He's still alive!" the Auror shouted out with a pump of his hand.
Hermione had stood rooted to the ground when the alarm had gone off, her eyes fixed on the red marker. Even when the explosion sounded, she stared at the map as tears ran down her face. She could not stay here and do nothing! She turned to Harry who was still shouting.
"How much bloody time do we need to get this blasted barrier down now?" he asked loudly.
"It's a lot weaker than before but we can break it now. Give us ten minutes and we can all apparate inside." cried one of the spell breakers as he rushed out of the tent. Harry paced in front of her.
"Right ten minutes. All Ron has to do is stay put and hold out for ten minutes and we can go get him." he muttered out loudly again.
"God damn Weasley! Where the fuck are you going!" the Auror in front of the map suddenly cried out. "I don't fucking believe this. He's heading back into the room he started in! He'll never last there. The death eaters will be all over him."
Hermione suddenly grabbed Harry by the arm and pulled him out of the tent. She took a few deep breaths wiping the tears from her face. Her eyes were now lit with a fiery determination.
"Let's go Harry. We are going to get him now. I'm not waiting any longer." she informed him with a steely voice.
"Hermione how are we..." Harry started.
"We are going to apparate inside. The same way I did with Ron. I make a modified penetrating shield around us and we apparate in. I couldn't do it before when the barrier was too strong but I know I can do it now. I have to." she informed him quickly.
Harry hesitated for just a second. He had given up on ever doubting his best friend a long time ago and now was not the time to start.
"What are we waiting for. Let's do it." he said simply.
Hermione linked her arm with his and raised her wand. She whispered a complicated spell and soon a shimmering blue shield was formed around them. She then closed her eyes and seemed to calm herself before pulling him closer. He heard her whisper Ron's name and the next instant Harry found himself pulled slowly along into a swirling void his stomach churning in all directions.
o0o
They landed in a room surrounded by glass cases falling heavily onto the floor. Harry reacted almost instantly putting up a shield around them as spells flew at them from the door. As she cleared her head he pulled on her arm.
"See about Ron. I'll deal with these assholes. Go!" he said calmly as he fired off multiple stunning spells at the death eaters gathered at the open doorway. She barely registered in her head how good Harry really was at his job.
Hermione looked around frantically and soon spotted Ron behind a fallen case. He was barely moving and as she moved towards him his protective shield flicked and went out around him as he rolled over on his back. She stumbled over the case and gasped as she saw him fully.
"Ron! Dear God! Ron!" she cried out as she dropped on her knees before him. He was clutching his bag close to his stomach and looked like death. There was blood everywhere. On his face and down the left side of his body. His vest was almost stripped clean off and there were deep bruises all over him. He had taken a severe beating from various spells thrown at him as he defended from behind the case. He suddenly coughed and jerked awake.
"Ron! It's me I'm here. Everything is going to be all right. Harry is here too." she wept out as she tried to cradle his head on her lap brushing his bloodied hair off his forehead. His eyes found hers and he grabbed her robes in earnest.
"Hermione...you have to...you have to go now...go!" he managed to sputter out.
"We're not going anywhere without you." she continued to cry. "Just hold on Ron. They will be here soon and then we can go." he pulled at her robes again and brought her down closer.
"No listen!...the whole building...is rigged to blow anytime. You have to leave now!" he coughed again as he fell back on her lap.
As she registered his words, the sound of combat suddenly ceased and she turned to Harry. The death eaters had withdrawn from the battle and disappeared from the doorway.
"What the hell?..." Harry registered his surprise looking at her. Hermione jumped into action immediately.
"Harry get over here now! We have to leave. The building is going to be blown! Hurry!" she shouted from her crouched position still holding Ron in her lap. Harry rushed over and dropped on the other side.
"God Hermione. He looks..." he started.
"Harry just hold on to me. We're leaving the same way we came." she interrupted him as she raised her wand and muttered the complicated spell.
The three bodies landed with a thud outside the Healer's tent and they were soon surrounded by the healers and various Aurors. As Hermione bent to examine Ron, a large explosion again shook the ground and they witnessed the entire mansion crumble into the ground with a loud roar, dust spilling into the air over the cliff.
Harry jumped on his feet and made to move away before stopping to rest a hand on her shoulder.
"Take care of him. I have to brief Roberts and make sure no one else went in. I'll be back as soon as I can." he hurried out before sprinting over to the other tent.
The Healers were now trying to get Ron inside the tent to treat him but he was fighting them off surprisingly. Hermione held one of his hands and tried to calm him down.
"Ron please. It's all right I'm still here. The healers just want to see about you...please it's going to be ok." she pleaded as she moved closer to him.
He turned to her and grimacing in pain but held on to her hand tightly.
"Hermione...I had to...I went back..." he broke off with a cough.
"Ron please don't talk. You have to let them see about you...please" she again pleaded in a soothing voice as she rubbed his hand. He shook his head resolutely pulling his hands away before reaching into the bag that he still clutched to his stomach.
"I...I found it...it was in there...Hermione." he stammered out as he placed something into her hand before the healers pulled him away from her and took him inside in a mad rush.
Hermione looked down at the object in her hand and gasped loudly in shock, her tears for him spilling onto her fingers. She recognized the object immediately. Ten and three quarter inch Vinewood with the unmistakeable vine pattern along its length.
Hermione was now holding her long lost wand in her hand...
o0o
